Charleston - Ashley Ridge senior receiver Derrick Salley was not selected to the 2023 South Carolina Shrine Bowl all-star game. If the SC coaching staff can have a do-over, they would be well-served to put the 6-3, 200-pound phenom on the roster.
In the next of some amazing performances, Salley literally carried the Swamp Foxes to a 31-20 win over West Ashley. He caught seven passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns, and added a six-yard run out of the Wildcat formation to propel Ashley Ridge to their sixth win in seven games.
Salley has 67 receptions for more than 1,200 yards and has accounted for 20 touchdowns this season.
“We had a lot of guys play their guts out tonight but we don’t win this game without No. 6 (Salley),” Ashley Ridge head coach Jeff Tate said. “He’s unreal. He’s the best I have ever coached and I’ve had some good ones in my career.”
Ashley Ridge improved to 6-1 and 1-1 in region play while West Ashley dropped to 5-3 overall and 1-1in region play.
West Ashley running back Kevin Brown rushed for 156 yards as the Wildcats totaled more than 250 yards on the ground.
Both teams entered the game with hopes of remaining in the region 7-AAAAA race. To do so, each needed a win on Friday night.
West Ashley won its region opener last week, beating Stall, but still has region games left with Summerville and Fort Dorchester.
“Yeah, we needed a win after last week,” Tate said. “Last week took a lot out of us, emotionally and physically. We were beat up tonight. We had some guys out and it hurt us some. But the guys we had out there played with a lot of heart. And I am sure glad No. 6 (Salley) is on our team.”
Ashley Ridge lost its region opener, to Fort Dorchester, last week, and also has a game with Summerville on the horizon.
West Ashley moved the ball at will with their potent running game but managed just one touchdown in the first half. A fumble at the Ashley Ridge seven-yard line ended their first drive.
The Swamp Foxes responded quickly after the fumble with Kalisz combining with Salley on an 89-yard scoring pass for a 7-0 lead. Salley caught a short pass and broke four tackles before breaking free and out-running the secondary.
The Wildcats went back to work on the ground, with great success, on their next possession. A 13-play, 76-yard drive, all on the ground, was capped off by Mason White’s six-yard run with :57 seconds left in the first quarter. A missed extra point made it 7-6.
Ashley Ridge added a 30-yard field goal by Keith McCune with 7:56 remaining in the first half. The Swamp Foxes threatened again late in the second quarter but a fumble ended the drive at the 28-yard line.
Kalisz completed nine-of-12 passes for 172 yards in the half, with Salley catching three passes for 111 yards.
West Ashley ran for 160 yards in the half with Brown accounting for 70 yards rushing,
The Wildcats opened the third quarter with an 11-play drive and scored on their first completion of the game on a third-and-12 pass of 14 yards from David Dounian to Jude Claborn to take a brief 13-10 lead.
The lead was brief because the Swamp Foxes did what they do best, throw the ball to Salley. Kalisz and Salley combined on a 70-yard touchdown pass, again with Salley taking a short pass and out-running the secondary to the endzone. The extra point made it 17-13 in favor of Ashley Ridge.
But, again the Wildcats had an answer. West Ashley capped another 10-play drive with White’s five-yard run to take a 20-17 lead on the second play of the fourth quarter.
A 39-yard pass to Salley resulted in a first down at the West Ashley 25-yard line but the Wildcats forced a fourth down. Kalisz flipped a short pass to Salley, who busted through tackles for a 13-yard gain and a first down. Three plays later, Salley took a direct snap and scored on a six-yard run to put the Swamp Foxes up, 24-20 with 8:12 left in the game.
West Ashley lost a fumble on their next possession and Salley struck again, this time on a 41-yard catch and run to push the lead to 31-20 with 6:50 left in the game.
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